


Triptych Part 1: The News

by Storyteller1358



Series: Triptych [1]
Category: The Fosters (TV 2013)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 1, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:46:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13775175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storyteller1358/pseuds/Storyteller1358
Summary: Callie, now a senior at Washington University, gets some exciting news.





	Triptych Part 1: The News

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MercyBuckets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercyBuckets/gifts).



The warmth hit her as she walked into the entrance of her dorm. Although it was early March in St. Louis, there was a cold snap this week and the temperature had barely gotten above 40 degrees. Pulling off her gloves, Callie walked to the mailboxes. She opened hers and found several pieces of junk mail addressed to the previous owner of her room as well as one official looking letter addressed to her. She tossed the junk into the recycling bin and then started to open the remaining envelope as she waited for the elevator. She had just gotten her nail under the seal when she heard her name being called out.

“Callie, Callie! I’m so glad I ran into you!” A short girl with disheveled brown curls hurried over to her. Callie sighed. Kelsey was one of her biggest pains this year. Being an RA got her free housing and a small amount of money, which is why she had signed up to do it last year and this year, but it was students like Kelsey that made her sometimes wonder if it was worth it. The girl was always fighting with her roommate, who had taken lately to locking her out to get a break from the situation. While Callie didn’t approve of Laura’s solution, she had some sympathy for the girl.

“What’s going on?” Callie asked Kelsey as they got in the elevator and the doors shut behind them.

“Laura’s always having people over. I can’t get anything done.” This was one of the more common fights. Anytime Laura had a friend in the room Kelsey got mad and insisted she was trying to study, but she saw no problem with having her own friends over whenever she wanted.

“Is it during quiet hours?” Callie asked her.

“No,” Kelsey admitted, “but it’s still not fair. I can’t study with her friends over all the time.”

“There’s no rules violation then, so there’s nothing I can do right now,” Callie told her, walking out of the elevator. “I’ll set up a meeting time with both of you for later this week and we can talk it through and figure out a way to make the situation work for both of you.”

“Fine,” Kelsey huffed and then she headed towards the bathrooms while Callie entered her room.

Alone again, she opened the letter and began to read.

_Dear Callie Adams Foster,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you are one of the five students selected to present your work at the 2023 Washington University Kemper Art Museum Senior Art Exhibition. Your work shows incredibly talent, potential, and dedication, and it is our extreme honor to be able to share it with the public. The exhibition will run from May 20th through June 2nd. You will be required to attend the opening night on May 20th. Please confirm your acceptance of a place in the Senior Art Exhibition by no later than Monday, March 20th. Further details regarding preparing and submitting final works for the exhibition will be sent once you have confirmed your participation. Once again, we wish to share our sincere congratulations on your accomplishments, and our hopes that you will be a part of this exhibition._

_Sincerely, Mark Belman, Director of the Kemper Art Museum_

Callie almost dropped the letter several times as she read it. When she finished, she sank down into the puffy beanbag chair on her floor in shock. She had applied for a spot in the senior exhibition months ago, and had almost immediately tried to forget about it. There were so many other, more talented, artists in her classes that she had felt silly even bothering to apply. But then she had thought of what Stef and Lena would say if they knew she was giving up on something she wanted so easily, and made herself submit the application knowing that nothing would come from it. She reached into her jeans pockets for her phone to call them.

Halfway through dialing Stef’s number, she realized that it was only 4:00. Stef would still be at work, and so would Lena. Putting the phone back into her pocket, she leaned back into the chair, feeling it shift beneath her. Maybe, she thought, she should wait to tell them. She could make it a surprise for them; invite them to visit her without telling her exactly what they were coming for. The thought of getting to see their faces in person made her smile.

She was still picturing how she would surprise them when a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Getting up, she went to the door and opened it. Kelsey stood there, looking flustered, shoving her hair back behind her ears. “I know you said we would meet later, but she’s locked me out again,” Kelsey said, her voice scaling up as she spoke. “Can’t you do anything?” Sighing, Callie grabbed her keys and went to sort out the fight, leaving the letter sitting on the center of her desk.


End file.
